dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2025-8878

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The The Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 4.16.4. This is due to the software allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a value before running do_shortcode. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The ProfilePress WordPress plugin fails to validate user-supplied input before passing it to the do_shortcode() function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes. Since shortcodes can trigger various plugin and theme functionalities including user registration, content display, or e-commerce operations, this vulnerability could enable data theft, privilege escalation, or site defacement.

MitigationUpdate the ProfilePress plugin to a version beyond 4.16.4 once the vendor releases a patch. As an immediate interim measure, consider disabling the plugin or implementing web application firewall rules to block requests targeting the vulnerable endpoint.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm ProfilePress plugin installation and version
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate ProfilePress. Note the installed version number. Alternatively, check the plugin header in wp-content/plugins/profilepress/foldername/profilepress.php or use a database query: SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'profilepress_version'
    Affected if The installed version is 4.16.4 or earlier, or if the version cannot be determined (plugin may be outdated/unmaintained)
  2. Verify ProfilePress plugin is active
    Check if the ProfilePress plugin is enabled in WordPress. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and confirm the plugin status shows 'Active'. You can also query: SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'active_plugins' AND option_value LIKE '%profilepress%'
    Affected if The plugin is active and the version is vulnerable (4.16.4 or earlier)
  3. Identify the vulnerable endpoint accepting user input
    Locate PHP files in the plugin that call do_shortcode() with unsanitized user input. Search plugin files for patterns like do_shortcode($_POST, do_shortcode($_GET, or do_shortcode($_REQUEST. Common entry points include shortcode handlers, AJAX endpoints, or front-end submission forms. Inspect files in wp-content/plugins/profilepress/
    Affected if The plugin code contains do_shortcode() calls that process raw user input from request parameters without validation
  4. Test for unauthenticated shortcode execution
    If you have access to testing environments, send a crafted request to suspected endpoints (such as front-end forms, AJAX handlers, or shortcode-rendered pages) with a benign shortcode like [shortcode] or [meta name="test"] in the input parameters. Observe if the shortcode is processed in the response
    Affected if Arbitrary shortcode content supplied in request parameters is rendered/executed in the page output, indicating the vulnerability is exploitable

Your environment is affected if ProfilePress plugin version 4.16.4 or earlier is installed and active, and the vulnerable code path that passes unsanitized user input to do_shortcode() is accessible to unauthenticated users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the ProfilePress plugin to a version beyond 4.16.4 once the vendor releases a patch. As an immediate interim measure, consider disabling the plugin or implementing web application firewall rules to block requests targeting the vulnerable endpoint.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

4.16.5

  1. 1. Backup your WordPress database and files before making any changes.
  2. 2. Navigate to Dashboard > Plugins in your WordPress admin panel.
  3. 3. Locate the ProfilePress plugin in the installed plugins list.
  4. 4. Check if an update is available - the fixed version is 4.16.5.
  5. 5. Click 'Update Now' to install the patched version, or manually download version 4.16.5 from wordpress.org if automatic updates are not available.
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin is running version 4.16.5 or later in the Plugins list.
  7. 7. Test that the shortcode execution functionality works correctly with expected behavior.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-8878 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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